The Lilypad

Summer slowly winding down at our house. I have one very excited five year old, who just can't wait for Kindergarten to start! I've been doing some preschool activities with her this year to make sure she is ready for Kindergarten. Today I want to show a quick worksheet I put together for my preschooler that she found engaging but also demonstrated to me if she was prepared for school start.Using Fish Friends by Jacque Larsen and Everyday Extras by Kate Hadfield I created a number worksheet centered around a fishy theme. I then duplicated the grid format to a separate document. I printed both of these out. Since we are working on cutting skills with my daughter I allowed her to cut out one copy of the grid. I also cut out a copy of the grid so I could have a "nicer" version to use in the future. I'll also be sure to laminate it for durability.I then … [Read more...]

Congratulations to the GradsIt's that time of year - Graduation Time! We love to celebrate milestones and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the accomplishments made throughout the school year than with a sale!! A graduation sale courtesy of Kate Hadfield. USE COUPON CODE GRAD20 and get 20% off (coupon expires June 8, 2015) these fabulous end-of-school products. Keep reading for inspiration on how to use the doodles in your projects and on your pages. From scrapbook pages to hybrid creations and everything in between, Kate's doodles add just the right touch. Make the perfect celebratory invitations, cards or scrapbook pages with Graduation. Don't forget the younger grads with Little Graduates.Milestones start in grade school. Celebrate in style with Little School.For the older kids, Big School is more fitting. The School Days Wordy Bits are a … [Read more...]

Fall is officially upon us. September is nearly over. If you are like me, this means you have embraced the new school year routine and are settling into the busy pace this time of year demands. We like to try and stay organized here at my house. I am a big list maker and planner. But Making lists, staying organized and sticking to schedules doesn't have to be boring!How many of you look to your ever expanding digi stash to create beautiful things outside of scrapbook layouts? I have to admit, I do not do it often enough. So, a few of us Creative Team members, for Lynne-Marie, put our heads together and created some fun organizational-friendly printables for school and life in general. Let's take a look:Karen loves to read and created the most adorable little bookmarks with the Evergreen collection. These would be darling for little beginning readers, adults and everyone in between! I … [Read more...]

Let's talk routines! It's time to get back into a routine as we prepare for the kids to return to school. With summer coming to an end for many children, getting back on a daily schedule can really shock the system. Today we will discuss ways to prepare you and your children for the first day of school.1. Bedtime RoutineIt's been a few months of late nights for the kids. A few weeks before the start of school, begin a more rigid bedtime routine to help prepare the kids for early mornings. It really does help for them to be on a schedule.2. Morning Routine After a couple of months of sleeping in, getting back into a morning routine is mandatory. Set an alarm and wake up earlier a few weeks before the start school. This also helps ease the kids back into a normal schedule. Having a visual reminder of our morning routine helps remind everyone what is expected each day.3. … [Read more...]

*insert evil laugh here* So, my kids are starting school today. Yep, today I am the mother of a High School Freshman! EEK, how did that happen? Also, the mom of a 7th grader, 3rd grader and Kindergartener. Whew, I'm tired and I don't even have to carry a backpack. Anyway, now that they are getting into a school routine, I figured a little extra homework from Mom wouldn't kill anyone, right? So this post is all about letting your children (or grandchildren, or nephews/nieces, or friends' kids) do the work for you. Admittedly, I may have difficulty getting my older children to cooperate with this endeavor completely, but my little ones will be more than willing to play along. So grab a kid and ask them a few questions. Then voila! You have journaling material for a scrapbook page that provides great content for the future viewers of it and an excuse to buy more scrap stuff. … [Read more...]